Ventilatory and pulmonary problem management

Postoperative ventilatory and pulmonary complications have been present since the first operation but the ability to monitor, detect, and prevent some of these conditions is improving rapidly with the advent of routine noninvasive oximetry in the PACU. As the realization sets in that hypoxemia is a common event in the PACU, more aggressive preventive measures can be taken to prevent its occurrence. The treatment of Mendelson's syndrome has evolved rapidly in the last few years with the use of more powerful and sophisticated H2 blockers such as ranitidine and famotidine. Both drugs increase gastric pH and decrease gastric volume. It is hoped that in the not too distant future Mendelson's syndrome will be a syndrome of the past.